But the severity of the threat probably landed nowhere near actually pulling the plug on big-time sports.

Today, the whole Rice affair is looking more like a brilliant play, really -- something well-conceived and appropriate for an institution like Rice, whose reputation for thoughtful long-range planning always has been superb.

Kill Division I-A sports? That was the threat. Reality was that it was all part of the long-range plan.

For those making the decision, the McKinsey report, rumors and reports of big changes might have been merely firing a flare into the air and watching the frightful glare bounce off so many faces.

It's looking more like a mischievous and inspired performance, much like a Marching Owl Band halftime show.

Nicely done, Rice administration. Nicely done.

Today we see what all the hubbub, points and counterpoints really were all about: Help us, or else next time we might not have a choice.

For the better part of the past two weeks, this threat of dropping or diminishing the Owls' athletic standing dominated airwaves and column space. Those within the Owls' family of athletes, coaches, fans and alumni worried. Even those outside wondered and sympathized.

You simply cannot buy the kind of air time and ink that certainly drummed up support for a deeper athletic endowment and, specifically, a new convocation center.

That's what this was all about, nothing more and nothing less. This time.

Money.

For all the talk of a faculty uprising, all the data and statistics regarding Rice athletes' grade-point average, compromised entrance standards and damage to the university's reputation for magnificence, it was more than that.

The Owls' deep-thinking leadership, in search of ways to raise the program, did with their collective wit what most schools do with letter campaigns, fund-raising dinners and cocktail parties at the president's house for the well-heeled supporters of the program. They raised the level of interest in the program and probably went a long way toward raising funds, marketing status and advertising dollars without having to spend a dime of their own money -- outside of what was spent on the McKinsey report.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. This was indeed a showcase of Rice brilliance at its finest.

If the Astros and Rockets can threaten a move to another city, given the Oilers following through on the threat, why can't the Owls grab a few headlines with threats of dropping football or moving to Division III?

But from here, the clock is ticking.

These are the early days of perhaps Rice's most critical time as a Division I-A athletic department.

The long-desired multipurpose center, which is crucial to the success not just of the basketball program but throughout the athletic program because of its recruiting power, must be built within the next five to seven years.

Momentum is on the Owls' side. If they do not capitalize, especially considering department deficit problems that will continue to a degree with a move to Conference USA, the next threat could be more legitimate.

After all, despite the solidarity for staying in Division I-A voiced at Friday's news conference, there remain pockets of dissent within the faculty. Those dissenters won't go away, but they will have to keep their mouths shut and stick to keeping their noses in textbooks for at least a few more years.

The guess here is that outgoing Rice president Malcolm Gillis, who attended Friday's news conference, did not want Rice's Division I-A lives to die under his watch. He fought hard to stir the masses and gain support for the convocation center.

He knows that in today's competitive athletic market, Rice's future depends on it. He knows that if plans for the center die again, or are put off another 10 years, it won't take a report, survey or poll to help decide the future of the athletic department.

Without saying it directly, Gillis acknowledged as much. Without a better centerpiece facility and a prettier bottom line, the vocal minority of supporters who ultimately drowned out the faculty gripes this time might just be making noise next time.

"There have been criticisms for the last 30 years," Gillis said. "Certain criticisms from certain parties ... the faculty report was explicitly considered."

But as for the future being locked into Division I-A? It depends. Build it and hope that they will come -- athletes and fans alike.

"We're not afraid to ask ourselves the tough questions," Gillis said. "Some programs (in the past) we chose to discontinue because they were not at the standards of Rice. ... We cannot afford to make mistakes."